Long Goodbye
by Korky21-DeeCee
Summary: Evan Bourne finds himself flung from the restrictions of ordinary life straight into extraordinary circumstances in which his morals are tested and his will pushed to the absolute limit. Will update very soon, hopefully in the next week.
1. Prologue: Disappearance

**Long Goodbye**

by

**Korky21-DeeCee**

**Summary: **Evan Bourne finds himself flung from the restrictions of ordinary life straight into extraordinary circumstances in which his morals are tested and his will pushed to the absolute limit.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Evan Bourne or the WWE or anything relating to them, I just own the concept for this story and some original characters from my imagination.

**00-Prologue** – Disappearance

Sweat rivulets swathed a path down his heaving chest as he leant against the cool locker room wall, head back, eyes closed, just taking in oxygen as the match replayed in his head. Evan Bourne smiled as he remembered the heart stopping split moment as his Shooting Star Press hit its peak in momentum; it wasn't a new feeling, but it always took his breath away.

"In the zone again, Ev'?" Returning from his realm of memories, Evan's eyelids flickered open, revealing soulful brown eyes which acknowledged John Morrison's smirk at Evan's unusual post-match ritual.

"I guess. Why?" Suspiciously, John shook his head, trying to hide the humour breaking into his expression. "What? Is there something on my face?" Evan asked, running a hand over his jaw.

"Nah, it's nothing, man." John went back to lacing up his boots, getting ready for his own match against Ted DiBiase. R-Truth, who was sitting on the bench next to Morrison, reading a magazine that had been discarded by someone earlier, closed his hand into a fist and punched John on the shoulder with a slightly disapproving glance.

"Dude, you're gonna give him a complex..." John just laughed, shrugging at Evan's confused look. "Don't worry about it, man, he's just being juvenile." Truth said, concentration returning to the magazine's riveting miniature comic strip.

"Well, okay, if you say so." With a still confused smile, Evan sat down on his own bench to rest his weary bones. The match he'd had against Jey Uso had taken up a whole lot of energy, especially as he'd had to keep an eye out for both Jimmy Uso and Tamina.

The two had attempted to provide as many distractions as they could in order to get Jey the win. In the end, their efforts had been for nothing; Evan had pulled out all the stops to make sure the only one winning was Air Bourne.

Tamina had tried to push him off the turnbuckle but he'd jumped over her hands as they'd reached for his legs, a risky move that had paid off as Jimmy had been hanging over the ropes at the time; the rope had rebounded into his face knocking him to ringside as Tamina lost her balance after completely missing and slipped off the apron to land on Jimmy's legs. There had been a few laughs from the audience at that, but then it had turned serious as Evan had finished the match with his signature move, getting the 1-2-3.

Of course, the trio hadn't taken it lying down – Jimmy and Jey had grabbed him after the bell pummelling him with a few fists and kicking his weakened body, but Evan hadn't spent years exercising and training to fall at the second hurdle. With a burst of energy, he'd kipped up, performed a spin kick to the side of Jimmy's face, swept Jey's legs out from under him and ducked a flying shoe from Tamina's general direction before escaping up the ramp, grinning as his music put the full stop to a successful match.

Tamina had grazed his shoulder with the edge of her strappy blue heel though...

"Evan! You here?" A brunette head poked through the ajar locker room door. Eve grinned at John and R-Truth before setting her pretty gaze onto the high flier with intent.

"Eve? Hey, what're you up to?" He pushed off the wall and met her half way, smiling warmly at the Diva.

"Looking for you." Hands on hips, Eve raised an eyebrow at his physical state, mentally reminding herself to show that Tamina a thing or two in their one on one match later in the evening. Nobody hurt her Evan and got away with it! He jokingly went for a hug, chuckling when she kept him at arms length and clamped her nose.

"Oh, well, you found me. What can I do for you?" Finding a happy medium she kindly patted his arm with a smile.

"How would you like to-" Suddenly Eve froze, and at first Evan thought maybe she was thinking about something mid-sentence...but then he realised she wasn't breathing, neither were R-Truth or John, they'd all frozen on the spot, unnaturally so. His brain struggled to comprehend what was happening as the atmosphere around him became static.

"What on Earth...?" Before he had time to question the surreality or whether he'd just happened to go insane, a sunset coloured orb appeared in his peripheral vision, creeping into the imagination of his subconscious mind – he could feel it, knew it was there, but he couldn't focus on it, no matter how hard he tried.

"_Calm._" The sentient being of light pulsed. Evan wasn't sure if it were telling him or itself to be calm; it had a bizarre nervous 'voice' that, again, he could feel it, hear it, but couldn't pinpoint its origin.

"Uh...what's going...on? Who-what are you? What happened to everyone?" He felt a buzzing sensation in his brain, it tickled though it still felt rather intrusive.

"_Questions. Later. Need you now. Agree?_"

"Whoa, what? I-I-I'm not...uh...what do you want?"

"_Come with me. Trust me. Do not worry...Please._" A beautiful and altogether terrifying light engulfed Evan, stirring something inside him that made him more inclined to agree with whatever it was the being was asking. As scared as he was, blinking into the stillness and silence around him, Evan gently nodded. He wasn't sure why. His sweat had gone cold as his heart beat slowed to a crawl beneath his tight chest.

The light captured him once more, this time however, it hurt...an excruciating burning sensation radiated throughout his body, attacking every nerve and cell, causing him to cry out feebly. His vision blurred then became dark as red tears escaped his bloodied eyes. Consciousness faded quickly and he collapsed, all thoughts about what, why and how dispersed into the darkness, then he was gone.

And that was when the Earth woke up.


	2. Chapter 1: Cold

**Long Goodbye**

by

**Korky21-DeeCee**

**Summary: **Evan Bourne finds himself flung from the restrictions of ordinary life straight into extraordinary circumstances in which his morals are tested and his will pushed to the absolute limit.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Evan Bourne or the WWE or anything relating to them, I just own the concept for this story and some original characters from my imagination.

**01 Chapter 1** – Cold

It was raining, torrential floods building up in cleft planes surrounding him, the heavy drops pounding and stinging every ounce of flesh on his inadequately dressed form. Wrestling tights couldn't protect anyone from any kind of precipitation, let alone storm whipped rain and hail.

A tree fell nearby as the winds picked up tremendously, splashing his prone body; dirty water entered his throat causing him to choke, waking him up violently from a deep and empty sleep. Evan Bourne's eyes opened wide, panic setting in even as he stopped choking and started breathing. He dug his hands into the muddy ground to try and push himself up, but he immediately sank into it. The rain wasn't letting up and he could feel shivers starting to rack his muscles.

Trying a different tactic, he crawled up the slight embankment on his hands and knees, using saplings as holds to pull himself up and out of what was quickly turning into a sloshing lake. The cold water and winds bit into his skin as he made it to the top of the bank, covered in mud and leaves, which to a certain degree kept some of the shivers away as he slumped on the drowned grass, head spinning as thoughts, feelings, pains and confusion fought for attention.

For a second, he ignored his woes and 'what's' and let his eyes wander, blinking through the persistent raindrops to see the dark grey sky and the dead forest beyond the fast forming flood planes.

The forest appeared to go on for miles in every direction, except behind him, where there was one overgrown field that hadn't succumbed to the torrent yet.

"How did I get myself into this situation?" Evan asked himself, more to try and keep his mood light than to actually try and think of an answer. Everything still hurt, so he knew he only had one option at this time: he had to choose a direction and hope there was civilisation somewhere in the distance, because if he didn't find shelter, he knew hypothermia would want to settle in. The trees falling left and right wouldn't help in that particular area and there were no rocks or caves in sight...

With a sigh, Evan scrambled to his feet, hugged himself tight and started walking, across the field and hopefully away from the unrelenting storm. Unbeknownst to him, blood still dripped from his tear ducts, only to swiftly be washed away by the rain. Above him, the blue light reflecting off two orbiting moons struggled to break through the clouds of the alien world.

He'd been walking/stumbling for half an hour when he caught sight of a lantern somewhere in the dark. It was coming closer which meant a person was holding it; he didn't stop to think about any possible dangers.

The closer he moved towards the light, the more clear it became that there wasn't just one lantern holder, and they were moving fast

"Hello?" He shouted through the whistling, crashing storm, raising an arm to shield his eyes so he could squint at the incoming group. Something else whistled past him, something that wasn't weather related and also, it didn't actually go past him. Frowning, he looked down to his bare shoulder where a feathered dart had innocuously embedded itself, making a hole through and through causing a pinprick of blood to drip down his back. "Ow..."

He gripped the feathery cap and tried to pull the needle out, but for some reason he couldn't gather the strength to do so. His eyes started to close without his consent and within five seconds he was unconscious on the ground once more, face up and spread eagled.

"That's not Grimley..."

"No, he's half the size of that buffalo. He must be in cahoots though. Let's take him in."

"Wonder what he's doing out here dressed like that? What are they anyway, Harke? Skin tight...man-tights?"

"I'm glad you're not drunk right now or that sentence could've come out a whole lot worse, Orinne..."

"I can't even guess at why he thought that would be a good attire. Especially on this damn planet."

"Don't tempt me, Harke. Been dying for a drink all day." Orrine yanked the dart straight out of Evan's shoulder, letting the blood wash off before placing it back in his ammo kit

"How old would you say he is?"

"Twenty five, twenty six...way to young to be doing business with Grimley...Maybe that's why he's been left out here; for Grim's amusement."

"The sedative worked pretty quickly..."

"Well, he's skinny as. Help me with his arms, will you?"

"Sarasen's gonna blow when we explain that Grim' got away again."

"No, you two take him back to HQ, we're going to find Grimley. Keep Sarasen distracted for me, Orrine?"

"Sure thing, boss." The group separated as the storm lashed around them, one lot heading to the forest that Evan had gratefully left behind, the others going back the way they came, Evan in tow over Orrine's huge shoulders in a fireman's carry.

His body was dropped to the concrete floor with a wet thwack and the prison door slammed shut, the metal echo reverberating through the large, over-occupied cell.

The moment his skin touched the icy ground, the shock brought Evan back to the land of the living, coughs racking his body as he exhaled water that had managed to enter his lungs during the long journey. He shivered as the coughs died down and sat up in a pool of rainwater, only to be astonished by the amount of weak and sickly looking people staring at him with indifference.

Remembering the incident out in the storm, his hand shot to the needle wound, half expecting the feathery end to still be there, but there was barely a mark, although it was going to leave a bruise. Sighing quietly, he raised his eyes again.

"You one of Grimley's henchmen?" One of the less emaciated male prisoners asked, his face not unkind as he watched Evan come to terms with the scene around him.

"Er...? Sorry, I'm not even sure what the hell is going on..."

"I'll take that as a 'no' then. No offence, but you don't look strong enough to protect Grim' from anything other than a swarm of bees anyway." Evan raised an eyebrow, but smiled when he saw it caused a few other people to quirk their lips at his expense.

"...Bees can be dangerous." The man laughed, something he'd obviously done a lot of, before being imprisoned; he had small laughter crinkles at the corners of his green eyes.

"What's your name, kid? I'm Kai, Kai Sully."

"My name's...Evan Bourne."

"Nice to meet you, Evan. I'd shake your hand but the idiots think I'm a risk so..." Kai lifted his hands as high as they would go, which wasn't far as the chains around his wrists pulled taut. Evan didn't move to shake the man's hand, the people around him looked skittish enough, he didn't want to make them upset by breaking their hard earned calm.

"What is this place? Why did they throw me in here? And since when were storms that bad?" Evan pulled his knees to his chest, cringing at the feeling of moist spandex. Eve would've probably giggled if she'd seen him in the state he was in now. Or he liked to think she would; in actuality she would probably worry her knee length socks off being the caring woman that she was. She'd always treated him like a slightly younger brother of sorts.

"Most miserable world in the Delano System is what it is. Why did you come here?"

"I didn't...not on purpose." His thoughts were still quite cloudy, and it hurt to try and remember the way in which he'd been sent to this...world. It broke all known physical laws as far as he knew, and went beyond anything that could be proven. Another drop of blood left the corner of his left eye, staining a trail down his face without making itself known.

"Huh. Well, for a reason I can't fathom, it's likely they thought you were one of Grimley Stanton's guys." Kai squinted, and frowned with concern as he saw the blood. He chose not to say anything about it for now.

"Grimley Stanton? Never heard of him...odd name though."

"What! You don't know who Grim' Stanton is!" Kai's chains rattled against the concrete as he used his hands to express his disbelief.

"No?" Realising how painfully honest Evan was being, Kai let his hands drop to his lap and rolled his eyes up to look at the flaking old ceiling.

"You're serious? Where are you from? Which planet?"

"Uh...planet Earth." Once again Kai's chains creaked as he covered his mouth in shock and surprise, shaking his head slightly before glancing at an elderly woman who was sitting in the back of the room, looking worse for wear and a little suspicious.

"Wow, I can't believe this, they said there must be one survivor...You're a pure-blood human?" Kai stuttered as he tried to pronounce the word 'human', like it hadn't been a spoken word for a long time. It worried Evan

"Yeah, last time I checked." Evan responded, biting his lip nervously. He was well aware he was drawing attention, but he couldn't make heads nor tails why.

"Amazing. I'm talking to the last human! Marcy, can you believe this?"

"Not really, Kai. Keep your voice down though, we don't want everyone to know, or they'll be out for the poor man's blood. Hope you can run fast...Evan." Marcy, the elderly woman Kai had turned to before, shifted to give Evan a once over. Her eyes held something warm, but right now, it wasn't showing.

"Wait, what? Last human? What are you on about?" He tried not to stumble over his words as that horrible feeling of dread took hold of his intestines and twisted.

"Evan, have you been living under a rock for, like, the last three centuries? Or did they just hit you on the head too hard?" Kai stared at him incredulously even as he knew what the answers would be.

"No and no."

"Okay, now you're just confusing me."

"Same." A metallic tune played by the guard on the cell door startled them all, and Evan unwrapped himself to find it was one of the men from the group whom he'd caught a glimpse of before being knocked out. What was his name again...Orange?

"Hey, you, in the tights, Sarasen wants to talk to you. Get up and come to the door." Orrine said gruffly, holstering the small club he'd used as a drumstick. He had keys in his other hand – there appeared to be hundreds of the little silver objects hanging from the single ring.

"Who's Sarasen?" Evan asked, quite innocently he'd thought...until a pebble flicked him upside the head. He rubbed the sore spot and looked for the culprit, which clearly was Marcy because she was glaring at him with several more little stones in her palm ready to launch. "Ow, what was that for?" Orrine answered for her.

"Are you trying to get yourself killed? Don't show such disrespect in front of her, or you're heading straight for the shooting range!" The broad shouldered man spat, real anger making his face turn red. There was something more to Orrine's relationship with this Sarasen woman, Evan knew it.

"Oh...Sorry." Feeling it would be best just to cooperate for now, Evan squelched to his feet – his boots were still drenched, more so than his tights which he knew would chafe later if he did find himself running for some reason or another...hopefully during an escape if anything.

"Evan, be careful." He nodded at Kai, and glanced at Marcy, but the old woman just seemed apathetic now, or she was trying very hard to be.

"Right."

He left the cell of his own accord without offering any resistance which put Orrine on edge as they walked down the dank, poorly lit corridor. At the end they stopped at a gun-metal grey door which opened up into a small room. In the middle of the room was a single chair under a spotlight.

Evan was dragged into the room and forced to sit on the chair to which his hands were shackled with some hefty chains. He was still trying to come to terms with the fact that this was an alien world, but it seemed much more plausible somehow than a massively elaborate, cruel and deeply convincing prank.

"Tell me your name." Said a female voice from a shadowy corner of the room suddenly. Wide eyed, Evan tried to adjust to the darkness to find the owner of the voice, but thankfully she came forward. Evan's breath caught in his throat.

Sarasen may have once been a beautiful woman, but that beauty was now marred by deep, crooked scars all over her face and hands, the only skin on show. One scar ran down her chin and onto her neck – it should've been fatal. He couldn't help the sadness that cropped up in his expression upon seeing that. She'd had a hard life, and almost looked like she needed a hug...

"Why? What do you want with me?" Sarasen's face darkened, her eyes clouding over and if it were possible, fire would've spouted from them.

"Dale." That one word felt like a verbal dagger as movement sounded behind him then a sharp-knuckled fist popped Evan in the cheek, sending the wrestler crashing to the floor in a pile of chains, a purple bruise already forming under his orbital bone. Dale then harshly pulled Evan back onto his seat in one swift movement. "Name."

Evan winced and stretched his jaw painfully.

"Fine...My name's Evan."

"Good. What were you doing with Grimley?"

"I wasn't doing anything. I don't know who he is or what he's done to piss you all off."

"If that's the case, why did my men find you when they were looking for him?"

"Because I'm unlucky."

"Are you saying you were in the wrong place at the wrong time?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying." Sarasen twitched, which appeared to be a signal that Dale understood as 'cause more unnecessary pain'. With intent to cause grievous bodily harm, Dale wrapped an arm around Evan's neck, the smaller man unable to fight back as he was lifted in a choke; he'd had experience with this though, and knew not to panic at the lack of breath – he closed his eyes and concentrated on slow, hitching breaths through his nose until the brute realised his medieval lie detector move wasn't doing its job. Dale released him, frowning and looking to Sarasen for guidance.

"Feel like telling me the truth yet, Evan?" Sarasen asked coldly as she ran a hand over her short-cropped blonde hair. Her interest was piqued. People always panicked or struggled when Dale locked in his patented death-grip...Grimley didn't hire people that didn't have fear, he liked to know he could keep control of his subordinates by threat of death. She already knew Evan wasn't one of them. But that was no reason she couldn't have some fun.

Coughing, Evan blinked more blood out of his eyes that he thought were tears.

"What more can I say? You obviously don't want to believe me..."

"Hm...okay, Dale, unlock him, send him back to cell 3A."

"Yes, ma'am." Dale obediently did as she said, the chains dropping to the floor, echoing loudly in the sparse room. Before Evan could stand, a blaring alarm startled all three occupants of the room.

"_All guards to Cell Block 3. Repeat, all guards to Cell Block 3. Escape in progress._"

Sarasen frowned, sending a scolding glare Evan's way like it was his fault. He shrugged, remembering the Kai and Marcy lighting up the moment he'd left the cell, like he'd given them an opportunity. He wasn't about to mention that though; if they could escape this hell hole, then fair-dos. They didn't belong in prison, neither did he, but they'd been here longer, as he could tell from their emaciation. He knew these 'police' were corrupt, that much was clear as day.

It warmed him just a little bit inside, even if he did have to duck damn quickly, when the interrogation room door blew off its hinges and Marcy and Kai stood in the dust from the explosion, flanked by a couple of soldiers clad in black, wielding dangerous shotgun-type weapons. Sarasen and Dale were dispatched fast, their bodies left on the floor for the clean-up crew later.

"Evan, you ready to leave this place?"

"I never wanted to be here to start with..."

"Well, come on then."

"...thank you...for coming back, I mean. You could've just left me and saved yourselves..."

"We couldn't do that man, Marcy has too much of a crush on you, besides which, you're one of a species thought extinct hundreds of years ago..." Marcy slapped Kai on the back of the head as a blush crept up her neck and ears.

"You're such an idiot, Sully."

"The best kind." Marcy sighed good-naturedly and gestured for Evan to follow them, turning without waiting for him. Knowing he had nowhere else to go for now, Evan smiled resignedly, trailing behind them and the soldiers at a jog as they cleared the way of any resistance from the remaining guards, explosions rocking the entire building. Then he remembered he had to go back out into that _rain_...


	3. Chapter 2: Belief

**Long Goodbye**

by

**Korky21-DeeCee**

**Summary: **Evan Bourne finds himself flung from the restrictions of ordinary life straight into extraordinary circumstances in which his morals are tested and his will pushed to the absolute limit.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Evan Bourne or the WWE or anything relating to them, I just own the concept for this story and some original characters from my imagination.

**02 Chapter 2** – Belief

A brilliant sunrise in a lashing storm...Evan wasn't quite sure how that was possible, but he wasn't complaining as they travelled. It warmed the rain that beat down on them all, making it half pleasant as he followed the rebels, who seemed to know where they were going, weaving through big, stable trees in the direction Evan had been going before Sarasen's grunts had darted him down like an animal.

"The camp's just over that hill! Hopefully it's not flooded yet!" One of the soldiers, Joe, bellowed from the front beside Marcy, the older lady moving with a swiftness and agility that belied her age.

"Yet!" Nobody answered Evan; apart from Kai, Marcy and Joe, the other fifteen escapee rebels were trying their best to ignore him. Maybe they didn't want him as part of the 'pack', or maybe they just didn't trust him...he didn't even trust himself at the moment. How could he when he was starting to believe all this stuff about other worlds and humans that weren't humans...and spaceships?

A rust bucket of a ship loomed in what was apparently a camp but was actually just one big tent in a field, hidden in the shadow of the ship, which was about the size of a small bungalow - it used to be a gleaming silver, now it was a muddy red colour with mere flakes left of its former glory.

He couldn't help his jaw dropping at the sight of it, even if it meant eating rainwater that he wasn't entirely sure was safe.

"Evan! Follow me!" Kai waved him over and they took the quick way down to the tent – by sliding downhill like the grass was a surfboard. Nobody else attempted it, being too tired or weak from being held captive. Inside the tent, Evan did a double take; 52 beds and an office all under one roof was certainly an accomplishment. And everything looked unused.

"How long did they keep you locked up in that place?"

"Well, I can't say for sure, but I think it was 34 days."

"That's correct, sir. We've been trying to find a way in for the last 24 days, this man's interference gave us that opportunity."

"Yeah, well done. Don't who you are, but you got the job done." Evan raised an eyebrow, wondering how he could've been in any way helpful by being captured himself.

"I didn't do anything though...I'm sorry, but my naivety got me in there, wish I could've helped on purpose..."

"Hey, no worries, either way you helped us out back there, and you gave Marcy hope. That's something she hasn't had in 20 years...since her son died in the war."

"And that's the reason we're here Evan. Trying to right the wrongs that were caused by the war. But Sarasen and her men don't want peace hence why they took us prisoner instead of shaking our hands. When they brought you in, we expected you to be some goon of Grimley's, but then you spoke. I don't know what it is, but something about you is special, and I mean that in a completely fraternal fashion."

"They were distracted, trying to gauge how you could possibly be human, even though it was clear as day on their monitors...which we were monitoring."

"That's, uh, something I'm unclear about...why is it so difficult for me to be human?"

"You really don't know?"

"No."

"Evan, all humans were wiped out by a biological attack three hundred and fifteen years ago. The only reason we're around is because back then our ancestors had started to spread out among the stars...cross breeding if you will. We didn't have the right DNA for the virus to attack, so there's still half-humans alive. Just no full-blood humans. You're an impossibility. I'm sorry."

"Three hundred and fifteen years ago? That can't be true...I was talking to my friends not three hours ago..."

"Well then you must have had some kind of knock to the head. It's just not possible. Again, I'm sorry."

Evan slumped into an offered chair, suddenly feeling very exhausted. Something really didn't feel right about this whole situation, but he couldn't comprehend how to fix it, if there was anything to fix...what if he had just bumped his head and dreamed up his whole career, his life... that didn't explain why he was still wearing wrestling tights and shin pads, and boots, and his arm bands and wrist tape though...shaking his head, he stood and kicked the dirt floor with all the frustration he could harness. Rebels standing around the provided heater turned to stare at him with barely hidden suspicion and weariness.

"Feel any better?" Marcy asked, her greying hair limp on her shoulder as she folded her arms to eyeball Evan disapprovingly for his small outburst.

"No. Not really." He admitted, falling into the chair again, in the back of his mind wondering why his cheeks felt wet even though the heater had dried him off in the two minutes he'd been inside the tent. Marcy noticed the bloody trails from his eyes, but she said nothing, figuring it was just something he dealt with on a regular basis.

"Well, we'll be leaving this backwater planet in 2 hours, is there anything you need to do before then?"

"Find a way home?"

"I'm afraid I can't help you with that...but I can welcome you to our humble abode, on Guardio, our home planet. If you care to join us?" She sounded a little hopeful, a new face would liven things up, especially as he was fit for fighting – not many had that kind of training, they were merely taught how to use retro guns and maybe a knife or two, but Evan, in spite of his slim, compact musculature - which was still on view for those that could appreciate it, herself included – looked like he could break a few bulkheads with those legs and win a few limbo competitions with those abs.

"I-..." A familiar sensation came over him, the world around grinding to a halt, even the rain outside paused in mid-pelt. It was fascinating. The orb floated just outside of his sensory perception.

"_You serve a greater purpose. Be patient. Help them. You will return 'home' when the time comes _

"You again? What have you done? Why am I here?" His voice betrayed his nervousness as a bead of sweat ran down the back of his neck.

"_I see. You have trouble with being patient. And ask too many questions. Very well. I will give you a hint._" Fire; buildings collapsing; a pink sunrise; new cotton clothes; a shining spaceship - The Zentrik; a solitary royal blue planet; a woman wearing an eye patch; another forest; pain; bright yellow eyes; great allies; sacrifice; choices; destruction; an army - good or bad? "_The bigger picture. I will give you two hours to decide: stay with them and help, or return home and see the future they have told you of._"

"You mean...the virus that wipes out all humans?"

_"Yes._"

"Well, I don't have much choice then really, do I." Evan smiled, just slightly. The weight of the world was bad enough, but from what he'd seen in that glimpse of his potential future, he had the weight of the universe to contend with now. "I'll see what I can do...I am just one man though."

"_You are one man with the heart of a million._" The orb uttered with bizarre enthusiasm that just didn't sit right with Evan, not in this case.

"Cheese..." He murmured with a scratch of his chin. The orb gently prodded his brain, if such a thing were possible. It had a similar attitude as R-Truth had shown towards Jo Mo for being immature earlier.

"_Get on with it._"

"Oi. Go away light-bulb." He said, raising his hands in mock surrender.

"_Remember what I have told you._" And then it was gone again. Gradually, the deluge began rattling the tent again as time returned to normal; Marcy stood in front of him, her brow lowering as she waited for him to continue his fractured answer.

"Evan? Credit for your thoughts?"

"Uh, sorry, yeah...yeah, I'll join you. So long as you don't start lobbing stones at me again." Marcy chuckled, puckering her lips as she appraised him in a new light. Then she proceeded to empty her pockets of stones she'd actually forgotten about. "Hey, that's just not funny. What were you planning to use them for?"

"Nothing. Honest."

"Marcy? We have to leave now...they know where we are, and they're angry." One of the rebels informed despondently, dripping as he ran in from the storm.

"Alright, get everyone on the ship, double time. Evan, you ready?"

"As I'll ever be."

"Leave the tent and bedding, we'll come back for it later. Go." The ship's cargo door creaked open allowing everyone to climb in as a group. Evan got in last with Marcy and Kai, then he helped Kai to close the door, which didn't help with Evan's confidence – they were supposed to be going into space, and the door was unreliable? It left a lot to be desired, but he said nothing, grateful that he'd met these people and they were willing to give him shelter. It was a hundred times better than being prisoner to a bunch of pseudo cops.

The ship took off with a grumble and boom, leaving a gaseous trail in its wake as it left the atmosphere and entered the dark void of space.

* * *

"This is mental! I'm on an honest to God spaceship! In space!" Marcy and Kai exchanged an amused glance as they watched Evan enthusiastically darting from window to window, eyes wide and mouth gaping as the stars passed them by rapidly. Everyone else sat around or slept on the decks, resting without having to keep one eye open.

"Evan, careful honey, you might burst." Evan grinned at Marcy as he leant on a bulkhead to get the perfect view of a red planet below known as Wrogan, uninhabited except for a few bacteria and some hardy fish. The awake people followed Evan with their eyes, wondering how one could be so amazed by a few stars and planets.

One of the women, named Elise, found herself strangely enamoured by his exuberant behaviour. As she tried to sleep, she continuously found herself following him with her eyes. Maybe it was something to do with him being human – it was like meeting someone straight out of a myth when you know it just shouldn't be. Plus, he was hot. She tried not to show that weakness just yet.

"Please hold on tight, we are preparing to enter orbit." A voice announced over the ship's tannoy system, not giving much warning to those sleeping, but they woke up in time to grab onto something at least. Evan followed their lead but he wasn't expecting what happened next. For half a minute the inertial gravity programme shut down, allowing everything light enough to float, until the computer righted itself. Thumps, cracks and crashes could be heard across the cargo hold as the ship entered into orbit. Evan unstuck his face from the deck, grunting as his bruise from earlier stung like a bitch. Shaking it off, he jumped to his feet and dashed to the nearest window, just in time to see and feel the descent through fluffy clouds and a blue sky...that was a nice change. A small city came into view, if it could be called a city at all – it was just a smattering of huts, houses and a few tall buildings surrounding a huge lake. Kai spread his hands with a happy sigh.

"There's our home."

The ship landed relatively safely on a pre-flattened patch of grass and proceeded to get mobbed by the locals with threats of hugs and gifts of flowers on the crew's exit. So, it was a tight community. Evan ducked away as he left the ship, staying out of the way of the welcome home celebrations from what could only be their colleagues. The were informal, but still too formal to be family or close personal friends.

He sat on a rock to watch the smiles and thought briefly how he could keep his own smile through all the stuff the orb had shown him in that one second flash-forward. It would be hard, he knew, but a wise man had once told him 'smile man, you're on TV'. Well, Kofi had told him that once when Evan was having a particularly bad day, a Monday to be precise. So it was important for him to smile because that was the life blood of his persona, on-screen and off.

Everyone expected him to be the happy one, to give them a reason to smile, even if it was because they just liked to take the mickey out of him for it. He snorted.

"I'm a pushover...hm. Ow, that hurts." He cringed as he lightly touched the swollen area around his eye, his fingers came away red, but he couldn't feel any cuts that would warrant blood. "Strange."

"Evan? Would you like to follow me? Marcy said you don't have any clothes. I'm here to change that." Looking up from his contemplative stare at the dry dirt beneath his feet, Evan was blown away by the pure poundage of make-up this 20-something year old girl had on her now utterly disguised face as she stood in front of him. "Oh, my name's Cora-Lisa by the way. Do you like it?"

"Uh, do I like your name?"

"Yeah, duh." He frowned and checked if anyone was in ear shot before answering.

"...Sure...it's lovely." Cora-Lisa grinned from ear to ear; Evan was surprised she didn't crack the exterior of her make-up mask.

"Aw, thank you sweety!" She rubbed his arm in what she hoped looked innocent – she was in no way an innocent woman by nature, but he didn't need to know that yet. "This way. Oh yeah, you also get your own hut, right next to headquarters."

"Oh, cool." Everyone from the ship had pretty much dispersed, leaving Evan to his own devices, and alone with this painting of a woman and her shifty eyes. He blanched and followed her hesitantly.

* * *

Night time rolled on fast, allowing the plan to go ahead. Hopefully with the fewest amount of fireworks...the operative smirked, shuffling back a few more steps before initiating the countdown.

An ear-breaking explosion threw Evan from his bed and deep sleep, he landed on his elbows with a crack and a groan. "...the hell?" He pushed off the ground and gripped the window sill, only to jump back in pain. It burned. An orange glow peeked through his curtains and underneath the door. "Oh...no."

Dressed in his earlier provided pyjamas, which consisted of a pair of white, cotton shorts and a grey tank top, Evan stumbled tiredly out of the hut, only to recoil at the sudden overwhelming heat from a fire that licked and spat from every room of the HQ building.

Only a few people were standing outside, panicking and crying out for help, but the others were too far away. The majority of soldiers had gone to see their families in other cities whilst the rest of the soldiers and almost the entire rebel community were scattered all the around the other side of the lake; it would take a while for the smoke to become visible to them, but then it would be too late for them to get here and help anyone inside the burning building.

The three barely awake residents standing around obviously weren't good under pressure. So Evan decided to give them a break.

"Is there anyone inside?" He asked over the crackling, popping and snapping. It was clearly the handiwork of an arsonist, someone who didn't want anyone inside to live, or even the population surrounding the building, which would've included himself.

"...Y-yes, Samuel, Evie and Rovanne! They're on the middle floor, doing overtime..." Hats off to their dedication, but working during a fire was a little too much.

"Okay, go find a hose or something, and get others to help put this out! " He ordered, feeling time ticking away too fast...

"What are you going to do?" One of the onlookers stuttered, clutching a pair of shoes that he'd failed to put on.

"I'm going to find a way in!" Or make a way in. "Can I borrow those?" He grabbed the man's shoes and shoved them onto his bare feet; he'd apologize later if he happened to ruin them...

"Wait! You're going in there? You could die!" Another exclaimed, wide eyed and staring at Evan like he was just a bit mental.

"No doubt Samuel, Evie and Rovanne _will_ die if we don't get them out soon!" Evan didn't wait for them to decide what to do, instead he launched up the stairs to the front entrance, and used his momentum to kick the door in. He shielded his eyes from the dangerous flames that flicked out, trying to singe him.

Without hesitating, Evan rushed inside, straight into the inferno.

* * *

All mistakes are mine, sorry, but feel free to review and tell me if you see any, hope you've enjoyed this chapter. I'm trying to write faster but I'm in the middle of decorating a house (that's no excuse I know, I'm just lazy :o) )


	4. Chapter 3: Arcane

**Long Goodbye**

by

**Korky21-DeeCee**

**Summary: **Evan Bourne finds himself flung from the restrictions of ordinary life straight into extraordinary circumstances in which his morals are tested and his will pushed to the absolute limit.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Evan Bourne or the WWE or anything relating to them, I just own the concept for this story and some original characters from my imagination.

**03 Chapter 3** – Arcane

Evan ducked around a falling beam as he tried to keep low; the blazing heat was extraordinary and the black clouds of smoke tried to sear his lungs as he looked for the stairs, mouth covered by the shoulder of his tank top.

His foot connected with a melting drinks-dispenser, just as another beam cracked, swinging down to very nearly hit Evan as if he were a baseball. That could've been gruesome, Evan mused as he continued on to the stairs, ducking and diving over objects in his way until he made it to the staircase.

"Ah, crap..." Technically, the stairs weren't there anymore; it looked like the underneath cupboard had been the origin of the blast, or _a_ blast at least. Rolling his shoulders, he took a few steps back, sprinted forward and leapt to catch the top of the crumbling stairs by the tips of his fingers. He scrambled up to the solid floorboards above as quickly as he could as the super heated metal and wood tried to cook him alive.

A piece of metal sticking out from the wall managed to scorch his lower back as he pulled himself up, leaving a line of blistering red across the area. It stung, but nothing like a swift boot from Sheamus, or a seven foot body slam from Big Show.

"I-Is someone there?" Evan heard the small strained voice and the hacking coughs that followed. "Help. Please..." It was a woman, and she was fading fast.

"Don't worry miss, I'm coming. Are you injured?"

"My leg..."

Holding his breath, Evan pushed a rolling cabinet out of the way and slid across a desk as his eyes found the woman lying half conscious on the floor. He skidded to kneel beside her, cringing as he saw the blood seeping from her thigh and through her skirt, the reason being the leg of a desk impaling it; how it had gotten there was a mystery to Evan, but he'd seen enough TV to know it wouldn't bode well for her if he just took it out without some kind of tourniquet handy.

The smoke wasn't as bad up here surprisingly, so, trying to breathe sparingly, Evan stripped his tank top off after his cursory search for a tourniquet came up empty. The woman eyed him with trepidation as he studied the leg sympathetically.

"Wha-at are you doing?" She coughed again, closing her eyes as the jolt caused a new wave of pain.

"What's your name?"

"...Ro'."

"You're Rovanne?"

"Ye-" Another cough caused her to splutter. "Yes."

"Well, it's nice to meet you. My name's Evan, and I'm afraid I'm going to have to put a stop to this barbecue you decided to have at the office." Despite her pain, Rovanne smiled at him. Just what he was hoping to see, because she wasn't going to like him in a minute. "Sorry."

"What?" He grunted as he gave the table leg a hefty pull, arms straining as he hauled the whole thing out of her thigh in one rapid movement. Throwing it aside, he quickly used his top to stem the flow of her bleeding wound, pressing down even as Rovanne punched his back and screamed, obviously in unbearable pain.

"I'm sorry...so sorry." He flinched when her fist connected with his burn, but her pain put a dampener on his. "Breath through this." Keeping one hand to put pressure on the injury, he used the other to tear a strip of fabric off of his shorts, bearing his left knee. He placed the strip across Rovanne's face, allowing her to breathe somewhat filtered air. It helped her to calm down, at least for a moment.

Something crashed on the other side of the room, and Evan heard another female voice.

"...So heavy, Sam...!" It sounded like it was Evie dragging an unresponsive Samuel through the disintegrating office. Evan put his other hand back over the wound, pushing down heavily before stretching his neck to see over the desks.

"Are you okay over there?" He asked, clearing his throat. The smoke was starting to get clingy and abrasive, going at his lungs like a blunt knife.

"Uh? Who's there?"

"Evan; I'm here to help."

"Oh...thanks. I'm fine, but you seen Ro'?" She continued to make her way across the floor, swearing occasionally if something got in her way as she walked backwards.

"Yeah, she's here. She's bleeding out, I'm keeping pressure on the wound, but it's going to be hard to get her outside without hurting her. The stairs are gone..." She paused, then kicked a printer out of the way with unexpected force that made Evan raise an eyebrow.

"Gone? Like, not there anymore?"

"Yeah. Think we can work together?" He asked, checking to make sure Rovanne was still awake, which she was, but barely. Her hands feebly held the cloth over her mouth. Evie appeared in front of Evan and she released Sam beside Ro' with great relief.

"Of course...Whoa, did we wake you up?" She looked Evan up and down quizzically, noting his out of place shoes with the torn shorts as he bowed his head with a simper.

"Heh, yup." Suddenly, an idea came to him. "Hey, do you happen to have a belt?"

"I do. Here." Evan gratefully accepted the belt and looked to Rovanne for approval – he got a tired nod – before wrapping it gently around her leg and the rag, sewing it through the buckle and tugging; it was sufficient until they could get her out of the building. Her left hand gripped his forearm, her nails digging in and drawing blood. Evan took her hand in his own so she didn't injure him further than she'd already managed.

"Well done. You're doing great, not much longer now, okay?" She nodded again, a sheen of sweat covering her face. "Evie?"

"That's me." She said, briefly wondering how he knew her name. She shook off the thought; he was helping, that was all that mattered right now.

"Are the stairs the only exit?"

"Yeah, they were." Evie glanced to the staircase with apprehension, feeling like, somehow, Ro' and Sam hadn't got the short end of the stick in this instance as she saw what Evan was thinking.

"In that case, we're going to have to lower them." She blinked

"Um...How?"

"Hm, maybe I could help you down first, then send Ro' down, and you can catch her? You're definitely strong enough. We could do the same for Sam here."

"You're serious? Fine...sounds like a plan." With her stubborn permission, the two lifted Rovanne up, Evan holding her legs, Evie, her arms, and together they manoeuvred around the cabinets and desks in the way until they got to the stairs; the fire was spreading fast below, morphing and melting practically everything in its path. "How in the world did you get up here, by the way?" Evie asked as she looked down at where the stairs used to be with some disdain.

"I jumped." Me muttered, checking the tourniquet would hold fast after they'd lowered Rovanne to the floor.

"...?" Evie frowned, eye twitching as she did a double take from Evan to the non-existent stairs and back to Evan. Distractedly grinning, Evan dabbed sweat off Rovanne's forehead before turning to Evie.

"It comes with my profession...Come on, let's get Sam." Once the Ro' and Sam were near enough to the stair case, Evan curved his mouth to one side at Evie, knowing the next minute was going to be a difficult one for both of them, but there was no choice in the matter.

"Give me your hand." The fact that he'd jumped/climbed a whole storey imbued Evie with a significant amount of confidence in the man. She took his offered hand and allowed him to ease her down with minimal singeing or scalding to the both of them.

"Okay, send them down." Evan held Rovanne under the armpits to lower her down, which gave Evie an easier time at taking her injured friend in her own arms and helping her to the floor again. "This smoke is getting ridiculous! We need to get out of here, Evan."

"I know. We will." Sam was a lot heavier in one hand than he was in four, but Evan just managed to keep a grip until Evie could take the weight and not be crushed by the unconscious man. "You okay?"

"Perfect. Can you get down?"

"Yeah." Before she could ask 'how', Evan hopped down from the edge and landed softly on the balls of his feet, standing. Evie shook her head, choosing not to ask what his profession actually was, although she was curious.

"Ro', can you walk? Just a few steps to the door?" Rovanne gritted her teeth and nodded, putting an arm over Evie's shoulders so they could hobble together through the reception floor.

Evan hauled Sam to his feet and copied Evie, only with dead weight slowing him down a bit as he trudged behind the two women. The flames around them weren't letting up, the tendrils reaching for new items of furniture to destroy or windows to smash. The noise was incredible the closer they got to the door, like a hundred lions roaring at once.

"Nearly there." Sam's head rolled, then flicked up, eyelids opening and closing rapidly, as his feet went to find purchase. "Hey. Easy." Evan dodged a flailing hand as Sam woke fully and panicked at the fire surrounding them, pushing away from Evan and stumbling away towards the exit, pushing past the women with not so much as an apology.

"Hey! Sam! Are you okay, Ro'?"

"Yeah...let's get out of here..."

"Good, Evan you still-" Another explosion rocked the building, throwing Evan, Evie and Rovanne to the floor with a powerful shock-wave. Even though it was on the other side of the building, the heat still seemed to ramp up a notch.

Evie looked back at Evan just as he was engulfed by a yellow aura, their eyes connecting as flames drew too close, clouding her vision. When she could see properly again, he was gone, in his place a few scorched books. Evie's eyes widened, her chest hitching as she instinctively tried to take a deep breath, only to inhale more smoke than air.

She turned away, gathering Rovanne up and stumbling out of the door, not looking back, deeply saddened that she'd barely gotten to know him before he gave his life to help them.

"Evie! Rovanne! Thank the heavens!" Marcy dreaded to think what had happened inside the building that was slowly caving in on itself as she watched helplessly, out of breath from the run to the site. She knew somebody was going to pay for hurting her people, she'd make sure of it.

Evie dropped to her knees at the bottom of the stairs as the doctor and one of his assistants took Ro' from her, placing the injured woman on a gurney and wheeling her away. The crowd was restless, but the appearance of the three safely out of the building eased some of the discontent. Although, Marcy realised, something was wrong.

The old woman knelt to place a hand on Evie's shoulder as another nurse applied an oxygen mask. Evie stared at the dirt, a single tear falling and leaving a trail down her soot covered face.

"Thank Evan..." Marcy did a double take at that revelation, alarm written in her expression. He was supposed to be

"Excuse me? Evan was in there?"

"Yes, ma'am. He risked - lost his life for us. Just gone..."

"...He's dead?" Marcy felt the wrenching heart ache that hadn't reared it's ugly head since she'd stopped allowing it after her son's death. She'd grown attached to the effervescently amazed, brave and strong young man in the very short time she'd known him, which was why, even though it hurt to hear it, she didn't believe he was dead. But then, there wasn't better proof than witnesses and facts that he was clearly caught in the fire. It was a finality.

She pursed her lips and lowered her head for a second, trying to think of it as just another casualty of a losing war, but it occurred to her that Evan wasn't a part of their war, he was just an innocent bystander. She helped Evie to her feet and walked away from the inferno that several people were trying to put out with anything they could find. A soldier jogged up to the women.

"Ma'am! Our radar is indicating a ship has just left orbit – the emissions suggest it's a pirated ship, stolen from Thor Industries!"

"Can you track it?"

"No, ma'am, the trail went cold the moment it went to hyperspace, but we have traced the signature. We'll know it when we see it."

"Hm..okay, tell me if you find out anything, okay?" The soldier bowed slightly and left. Evie and Marcy exchanged a knowing look.

"Last human." They said in unison, sadness replaced with fear: if Evan wasn't dead now, it was likely he wished he was if the space pirates had taken him.

* * *

Evan gratefully sucked in the fresh air, not quite acknowledging that he was in another different place.

"Comfy there, kid?" Evan's brow lowered, his view suddenly blocked by a raggedy boot. "Thought you'd be a bit older, to be honest. Three hundred and fifteen years older, to be precise..." Blinking, Evan slowly looked up, noting there was more than one pair of legs around his supine form. And they all didn't appear to have much of a budget.

"Thought he'd be dead..."

"I thought he'd be a troll, at that age." Three men and a woman stared down at him, mixed expressions of annoyance, apathy and amusement on their worn, scarred faces. They reminded him of Sarasen an awful lot. The same cold, almost broken gaze.

"Uh...hi?" He pushed up to sit on his knees, aware and self-conscious about his current informal wardrobe, only to have the business end of a gun shoved in his face. He raised his hands in surrender, heart pounding as he stared down the barrel, unable to look away out of some morbid fascination. The woman put a hand on the gun-holder's forearm.

"Karson, no need for that. I don't think he's gonna be much trouble...Do you?" She winked at Evan, but he still kept his hands raised, merely because he didn't know how they would react if he moved again.

"I admit, he doesn't look like he could escape a wet paper bag." That was little insulting, Evan mused. He glared at the man that had said it, raising his chin stubbornly.

"Hey, I'm right here." Face blank, the pirate returned his gaze.

"Yes, you are." The but of the gun came down with a crack on the top of Evan's skull, dropping him to the deck with a statement. "What? Dang, why didn't that knock him out?" Evan groggily reached out for the wall, trying to find purchase on something, but his own blood made it nearly impossible.

"Hit him again." The second time didn't fail, sending the wrestler back into that now-familiar state of unconsciousness.

"What was it you said earlier, Alex? About humans being stupidly resistant and stubborn and the lot?"

"Yeah, I think this just proves it's not folklore."

"He is stupid, we'll see if he's resistant though. Come on, we've got places to go, people to rob blind...Olof, make sure the field's working, will ya?" The pirates left the brig, where Evan stayed in an uncomfortable heap on the floor.

* * *

Review if you've enjoyed reading my story. Be kind, be mean, be bold, be Ariel font size 10, but most importantly, fly Air Bourne :P


	5. Chapter 4: Zen

**Long Goodbye**

by

**Korky21-DeeCee**

**Summary: **Evan Bourne finds himself flung from the restrictions of ordinary life straight into extraordinary circumstances in which his morals are tested and his will pushed to the absolute limit.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Evan Bourne or the WWE or anything relating to them, I just own the concept for this story and some original characters from my imagination.

**04 Chapter 4** - Zen

Evan's eyes blurred as somebody walked into view behind the flickering forcefield. The woman from before stood with a hand on her hip.

"Hey there. Headache?" He wobbled slightly as he stood, to seem like less of a wreck as she looked on with an untamed confidence, her long blonde hair falling haphazardly across her shoulders.

"Already got one, thanks." She smirked at his weakly attempted humour in the face of uncertainty, before reaching with one hand to wave at something on her right. The forcefield sizzled out. He remained still on the other side of the room wearily.

"Come with me, joker; the guys want to see you in the mess."

"In the what?"

"The mess...you know, the place everyone goes to eat?"

"Oh...Why?"

"You ask too many questions. Just come with me."

Evan ran a hand gingerly over his face, feeling the stickiness of blood congealing on his forehead. "I don't really...trust you." He murmured. The woman raised her eyebrows briefly.

"Well I don't expect you to. But if you want some food, you're gonna have to trust me, at least for a minute or two."

"Why'd you knock me out?" Evan sighed when his belly grumbled, taking her side rather than his own. And she heard it.

"Because, one, we've run out of sedatives, two, we're pirates therefore we like violence and three, we needed time. Good enough reasons for ya?" Her hand went back to her hip in a casual stance

Evan frowned. "Not really...you could've asked-" But she cut him off with a curt reply.

"And you would've complied? I doubt that. You've just been in a highly dangerous situation – adrenaline running and stuff. No way you'd just sit down and listen, is there?" Evan angled his head up to study the ceiling and to deflect the rhetorical question with another question.

"Where's that food?" She snorted, gripping him by the upper arm and guiding him out of the cell, not expecting any resistance because she had a gun. He ended up trailing behind her, startled by the scarring on the back of her arms, and he guessed they weren't the only places scarred beyond repair. Still, the scars didn't take away from her natural and dangerous beauty...

"What's your name?" She asked as she turned to face him, twisting on the balls of her feet and stopping. He very nearly walked into her.

Their matching brown eyes connected on the same level for a short, wavering moment, before he turned away and muttered: "...Evan."

"Hm, wasn't expecting that." What was she expecting, he wondered, flicking his attention back to her, curiously.

"Why?" She thought deeply for a few seconds. Scratching the back of her neck, she opened her mouth to speak, trying to think of a sufficient answer.

"Because...I don't know. Hahah...hm..., my name's Savan. Nice to meet you." She shook his hand without his consent and let it go quickly as they carried on walking, coming to a door that pumped out noises of chatter and chinking cutlery. "You may want to duck when we walk in, unless you don't mind being knocked out again." Evan stared at her, eyes widening.

"You are kidding right?"

"Nuh." Before he could inquire more, as they entered the mess hall, a chopping knife spun through the air, giving Evan an impromptu haircut as he ducked with barely a second to spare. The knife embedded itself deep into the metal wall behind him.

Savan shook her head, confused; she hadn't expected them to throw something that deadly. Normally it was a box or an orange, just for a joke too, not to potentially kill any visitors. And they didn't get many visitors, even less of the accepting kind.

"Hey!" Savan almost jumped at the ferocity in Evan's voice. He seemed like a kind-hearted soul with not an ounce of anger in him, but there were obviously greater depths to his personality she hadn't known about, but then, she'd barely known him for 5 minutes.

Someone wearing a chef's hat and a whole get-up of leather and thick wool folded his large arms behind the food counter.

"Wanna do something about it?" All eyes were on Evan, waiting with baited breath for his response. A drop of sweat rolled down the side of his face to mingle with the dried blood from earlier.

"Dane, what's your fricken problem?" Savan moved to stand in front of Bourne, almost protectively as the chef walked round the counter to confront Evan.

"I haven't got a problem. But I don't like people I don't know."

"There's no logic in that..."

"Heh, does it look like I care about logic?"

"No, it doesn't look like you care about hygiene either..."

"Take that back you little runt!" Dane launched himself at Evan, missing him by a hair, which was kind of ironic. Evan ducked and spun, underneath the bigger man's elbow to get into a fighting stance – he was fed up with people trying to push him around or impale his face with knives.

Other feasting pirates shouted 'fight!', but they were amused that Evan had bothered to bait Dane. The chef was already in a bad mood from an incident earlier that day involving another type of insult. And Dane loved to hold a grudge.

"Make me." A sound that could only be described as a roar emanated from Dane as he leapt forward with a closed fist, hoping to make a nice crater in Evan's skull, and everyone in the room expected him to do just that.

Evan blocked the fist with his forearm, jumped 2 feet in the air and slammed the bone of his shin into Dane's face. There was an audible crack.

Savan looked on with concern and a little bit of respect. Evan had broken the chef's nose and was now dodging and ducking several furious punches and kicks with an air of professionalism. She realised now why Karson had asked her to bring Evan into the Mess hall, and she guessed the place would soon live up to its name and be a mess.

"Yahh!" Frustrated that he kept missing, Dane used the rage to deck Evan square on the chin, sending him spiralling to the floor with a lovely purple bruise already forming. "Haha! Got-!"

Evan spun on his back, flung his legs upwards, clutched Dane's head with his feet and twisted over in a break dancing fashion, taking Dane with him to collide with the food counter. Pots and bowls tipped over onto the two, tomato-purée-ing Evan and spaghetti-ing Dane in an avalanche of dinner. That made a whole lot of pirates angry, slightly more so than that of an average day.

Dane spluttered, his face almost blue with rage as his lovingly prepared food went everywhere, ruined.

Evan rolled away, jumping to his feet before two other pirates, enraged about their destroyed dinner, leapt at him, pushing him backwards to crash through a table. He rolled with it, twisting his body so he could flip straight back onto his feet.

Feeling disoriented, Evan was caught off guard when Dane rushed at him, the other pirates parting to make way. Evan did the only thing he could do, which was to leapfrog the 6'4'' behemoth. Dane collided face first with the wall, churning half the cartilage in his nose to mush. It was a gruesome sight.

Dane suddenly swung his arm out wildly, catching Evan on the cheek with his knuckle. Evan stumbled back, wincing and holding his jaw, soreness really starting to set in. Dane laughed, feverishly and without humour.

Savan smirked, folding her arms and deciding not to interfere, to see how things played out. She spotted Alex sitting across the room, watching the fight with deep concentration wrinkling his forehead.

Turning back to the action, Savan hissed as a chair was flung across the room, smashing to pieces on Evan's bare back, leaving ugly red welts and bloody scores. Evan fell to his knees, winded and trying to catch his breath as the new wounds throbbed hotly. Dane took advantage of this and ran at him, raising a foot to kick Evan's vulnerable face with – only to be shocked when his foot was caught.

Evan let out a cry as he used all of his strength and both hands to flick Dane up and over in an assisted back-flip. Dane landed with an echoing thud and silence reigned. Evan slumped, breathing heavily as he stared at the floor when a shadow covered Evan's crouching form. Hesitantly, Evan raised his eyes, to be confronted by Karson with a hand outstretched and an unusual expression on his grisly face that said he was both pleased and upset.

"Congrats, Aerios." Karson impatiently waited for Evan to take his offered hand. "Do you want a job?" Nervously, Evan surreptitiously looked around the room, seeing all the deadly eyes watching him like birds of prey. Considering the options, Evan decided taking Karson's hand was the lesser of two evils.

"I'm not really...looking for one..."

"Well, buddy, you really don't have a choice. Besides, when Dane wakes up, I doubt you'll want to be on the same ship as him." Karson lifted Evan from the floor easily with one hand, before letting go and walking from the mess without waiting for Evan 'Aerios' Bourne...

Hearing a grumble behind him, Evan quickly jogged to catch up, falling in line with Savan and Alex as they appeared from the crowd like ghosts.

"You did good. I've been wanting to shove my fist down that moron's throat for years." Alex said in a low, monotonous voice.

"Why haven't you, then?" Alex frowned at Evan.

"I...Know what, I really don't know the answer to that..." Savan chuckled, then in a serious tone, she spoke of something that relieved Evan just a bit.

"Actually, it might seem like we, as pirates, have no rules or regulations, but there is a code." She held a finger up as if teaching a student.

"Yeah, a code of honor...sounds cheesy, don't it?" Added Alex, his long strides keeping him a few steps ahead of Evan and Savan as the three of them walked down the dull silver corridors.

Evan glanced out of a port hole as they passed, blown away by the beauty of deep space, and still not completely believing it was all real.

"No. It's good to hear to be honest. Not quite sure Beefy back there goes by that code though..."

He had a hard time pulling his eyes from the view outside, but eventually he was forced to as the window stopped and the wall began again. Savan gestured to a door, which turned out to be an elevator and they bundled in, Evan between the pirates, before Alex pressed a small button at the side of the door.

The door swished shut, the elevator was as smooth however. It groaned and chugged away loudly as it carried them down turbulently. After a moment, and when Evan had gotten used to the idea of the lift potentially failing with them inside, Savan quietly announced something.

"It's a choice we all make." That made a little more sense, but he didn't understand how pirates that lived by the code could get along with the one that didn't in a cohesive unit.

"Are you the...honourable types then?" Savan nodded carefully.

"I guess so...yeah."

"I thought you were going to kill me back in that cell..." He practically whispered, afraid to voice the thought should they suddenly decide he really wasn't worth the effort.

"Well, we weren't. The truth is, we really do need you. And that means we can't have you being all...dead."

That was starting to bug him. "And what is it that you need me for?" They exited the elevator and Savan turned to Evan with an enthusiastic glint in her eyes.

"A mission."

"And...after that, will you send me back to the place you...took me from?"

"Maybe. Here, put these on and hustle. Before Karson and Olof get bored." Savan flung a pile of clothing at Evan. They were all dark items, but Evan brightened when he caught them, because in the pile was a top. And he was freezing from traversing the empty, cold walkways in just shorts and boots that were barely holding up anymore.

Alex and Savan stood there, in front of him, waiting impatiently. Evan scowled at them.

"Can I get some privacy. Please?"


End file.
